Universal substrates are used in electrical circuit technology for prototypes and small-scale production. These are "circuit boards" with a plurality of conductors and contact possibilities, which if necessary can be subsequently interconnected and contacted. In this way it is possible without any specific conductor pattern layout to have a plurality of different electronic circuits on the same board type. However, these "circuit boards" are not printed circuit boards in the conventional sense, but substrates which are very densely occupied by conductors and onto which in hybrid technology the IC's and other components are directly bonded. Generally such a substrate has a ceramic base with a conductor pattern. In the case of universal substrates at least two conductor patterns are provided in different planes in such a way that a maximum number of circuits can be realized thereon. The desired circuit is realized by contacting (bonding) conductor crossings and/or separating (cutting) conductor portions. An example of a substrate of this type is described in the Applicant's European Pat. No. 167 732.
A user is confronted with completely new problems as a result of the multiplicity of circuit possibilities of all the conductors and their bonding/cutting localities on such a universal substrate. Thus, from the large number of possibilities, it is necessary to realize a specific application, i.e. the desired circuit, by bonding and/or cutting. However, this is not all, because it is necessary to assume that corrections in the form of alternative or auxiliary conductor lines will be necessary because of circuit errors in the layout or realization phase. In order to convert this into facts an optimization process is unavoidable. In addition, during the physical performance of the wiring, i.e. the bonding and/or cutting operations, such a process must be performed as rapidly as possible through adequate machine control. This must all be carried out in a micromedium, in which the human operator cannot work without optical aids. Thus, the activity of "wiring" a substrate must be completely performed by a machine, which also forms an object of the invention.